2 WHIPLASH INJURY n e w s Whiplash injury Whiplash is the most common injury in car crashes, and the debilitating and painful symptoms associated with neck strain are a costly burden on the insurance industry, and the general public. There are now over 400,000 whiplash injury claims annually. Although the majority of injuries are only minor, in a minority of cases the injury can lead to long term pain over many months. Around 1% of injured occupants suffer permanent impairment leading to a lifetime of misery. Whiplash is thought to occur during the rapid differential movement of the body relative to the head, when the seat moves forward in a rear-end crash and the head doesn t, because the head is not supported by the head restraint. Finally, during the impact phase, the head catches up with the body, but in the meantime, the neck has been forced into an S shape. This is where many researchers believe that the whiplash injury occurs. Although researchers still do not fully understand the mechanisms of whiplash injury, many agree that the risk of injury can be reduced through good seat design. The key to effective whiplash injury prevention is the car s seat, and in particular, the size and placement of the head restraint and its ability to lock. Thatcham s testing aims to limit the differential movement by encouraging the manufacturers to design seats which keep the head and body moving together. Only a head restraint that is very close to the head can do this. Normal Retraction Extension Hyperextension ( S Shape) Whiplash is the most common injury in car crashes. Whiplash is thought to occur as the neck is forced into an S shape during the compression phase of a rear-end impact. AUTHORS: MATTHEW AVERY, Research Manager and Dr. ALIX WEEKES, Lead Research Engineer, Thatcham 03

3 WHIPLASH: 2010 UPDATE 68% brand new seats GOOD Whiplash: 2010 Update The results for the 2010 Model Year cover the cars that are on sale in 2010 (not just the new cars launched). These 2010 Model Year results are compiled from ratings for new seats tested, in addition to the ratings from previous years testing that are carried over. The manufacturers do not change their seat designs every year (only when new model updates or facelifts occur), in which case we are able to carry over the result from a previous year to the current year, if the car is still on sale. Ratings for cars that have ceased production are removed. So from the new seats tested for the 2010 Model Year update, 68% were rated Good. This increase in Good rated seats for new models has an effect on the whole fleet when they are combined with the carried over results. This reflects an overall improvement with over 50% of seats rated as Good for 2010 Model Year vehicles. Seats Improving Year on Year Thatcham publishes ratings for the Model Year this combines ratings from previous years testing with new seats tested in that Model Year. Thatcham s last release of results for 2008 Model Year had only 35% of seats rated as Good. The results of the 2010 Model Year seat testing at Thatcham reveal an improvement in the number of seats rated as Good. We now see that 51% of seats are rated as Good for offering protection against debilitating whiplash injuries. Manufacturers are continuing to take the prevention of whiplash injuries seriously. Thatcham has been testing seats for their ability to protect the occupant from whiplash injuries since The 2010 Model Year testing again confirms that manufacturers from around the world are listening to Thatcham and introducing new seat designs that can protect their occupants from whiplash injuries. Only 9% of the seats are rated Poor, which shows a great improvement since the first round of testing of 2005 Model Year seats. This small group of Poor rated seats are mostly older designs that are due for replacement, so Thatcham hopes to see the improvement continue next year. Good 16% 9% Good Ratings carried over from previous years 2010 Model Year (MY) New test ratings 2010 MY New test ratings 2010 MY 2010 New seat tests only Acceptable Marginal Poor 36% 24% 2005 Model Year (MY) 24% 20% 20% 51% 2010 Model Year (MY) Acceptable Marginal Poor New test ratings for 2010 Model Year - 68% Good. Comparison of seat testing results: 2005 compared to 2010 model year. 05

4 WHIPLASH: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Whiplash: International Perspective International collaboration between test centres helps to increase the pressure on vehicle manufacturers to improve seat and head restraint designs. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the USA is also involved with the International Insurance Whiplash Prevention Group (IIWPG) seat testing, and the results from Thatcham and IIHS are shared amongst the members of RCAR the Research Council for Automobile Repairs. Members collaborate to publish these IIWPG seat ratings for their national markets, and all of this helps to encourage the manufacturers to offer better protection against whiplash injuries. For IIHS, the percentage of seats rated as Good has increased from 12% for the 2005 Model Year seats to 52% for the 2009 Model Year seats. Comparison of ratings from Thatcham and IIHS shows that European and North American markets are both improving. Similarly Thatcham s Good rated seats have increased from 16% in 2005 model year, to 51% for 2010 Model Year. Both the European seats tested by Thatcham, and the US seats tested by IIHS now show that half the seats are rated as Good, which is a great improvement over the last few years. 100% Undeployed. 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% European markets US markets IIHS are an international partner in whiplash testing. Percentage of Good rated seats: Comparison for European and US markets. Mercedes Benz Pro-Active Head Restraint during deployment. Deployed. 07

5 BMW - ALL GOOD Volvo and Saab have traditionally been the benchmark seats, and they still continue to lead the way in protecting occupants against whiplash injury. The All Good manufacturers have seats rated as Good in each and every new model on sale. BMW this year have joined Volvo, Saab and Audi as the latest All Good manufacturer with their Pro-Active Head Restraint design. There are a few other manufacturers that are close to achieving the status of All Good. Mercedes, Honda and Alfa Romeo have all seats rated so far achieving a Good rating, but Thatcham still awaits some seats for testing. As soon as these manufacturers supply the remaining seats for testing, they could complete their line up of Good rated seats, and so join the group of All Good manufacturers. BMW all good: BMW New 7 Series BMW all good: BMW New 3 Series Coupe BMW all good: BMW New 5 Series Gran Turismo 09

6 PRO-ACTIVE HEAD RESTRAINTS n e w s Pro-Active Head Restraints detect a rear impact of the defined severity, the control unit deploys the head restraint by activating preloaded springs inside it. The front of the head restraint moves up and forward to meet and support the head early in the crash phase, and thus helps to reduce the risk of injury. The NECK-PRO system from Mercedes is fully reversible and can then be re-set by the car owner it can be pushed back into position by hand. Thus, NECK-PRO can be triggered even at a very low impact severity and offers then the full protection potential - without any repair costs for the owner. Pro-Active Head Restraints can help to protect against whiplash injuries even if the driver is out of position. BMW Z4. The Pro-Active Head Restraint deploys up and forward when a crash is detected. An example is the NECK-PRO system from Mercedes. Pro-Active Head Restraints Although many seats are now rated as Good the manufacturers are using a wide variety of designs, and these work in different ways. Many drivers are often out of position in an accident for example, they are leaning forward to see around a corner at a junction. The Pro-Active Head Restraint technologies can offer additional protection in complex, out of position situations, such as roundabouts or junctions. Pro-Active Head Restraints (PAHR) are a recent technology used by manufacturers to help prevent whiplash injuries. Both Mercedes and BMW fit PAHR systems. These systems are designed to reduce the risk of neck injury in a rear crash by preventing the differential movement of the head and neck. The Pro-Active Head Restraints are linked to an electronic control unit. When the crash sensors on the car The advantage of the PAHR systems is that they are activated based on input from the crash sensor they do not rely upon the weight of the occupant s body moving into the seat for activation like a Reactive Head Restraint (RHR). PAHR systems offer their protection potential regardless of the occupant s size and weight. The particular advantage is that if the occupant is out of position, for example leaning forward to see around a corner, the PAHR will still activate and offer some protection to the occupant. This must be a benefit of these systems since the PAHR systems deploy regardless of the occupant s posture. 11

7 WHIPLASH TEST Whiplash The whiplash test used by Thatcham was developed with our international insurance research partners (The International Insurance Whiplash Prevention Group - IIWPG) and is now used and respected throughout the world. The test recreates a typical 10mph crash on a special test machine the sort of shunt where whiplash injuries commonly occur and features the unique BioRID whiplash dummy, especially created to emulate the movement of a human during a rear crash. The test assesses the forces endured by the car s occupants during the crash and measures the time until the head and neck are supported. The best seats have large head restraints that can support the occupant s head and neck very early and can mitigate the force of the crash helping to prevent injury. Many of the best performing seats have anti-whiplash devices that can absorb the forces of the crash or move the head restraint automatically during the crash to support the head early to help prevent injury. test IIWPG Test procedure with a Volvo seat. The test measures the size of the head restraint and how close it would be to a typical driver. It also rates the dynamic performance of the seat during the crash test and combines these two assessments into one final, overall rating. Overall rating Good Acceptable Marginal Poor Good: A seat that offers good protection for most sizes of occupant may be fitted with specific antiwhiplash protection. Acceptable: A seat that offers reasonable protection for small to average sized drivers. Marginal : A seat that offers some protection for small to average occupants. Poor : A seat that offers little protection from whiplash-type injuries. Run out: Indicates a model that is near the end of production. A newer model might also be on sale at the same time. Protection Reactive Head Restraint: A head restraint that automatically moves up and forward during the crash, actuated by the weight of the occupant in the seat. (Example: Saab SAHR) Pro-Active Head Restraint: A head restraint that automatically moves up and forward at the start of the crash, actuated by crash sensors on the bumper or within the car. (Example: Mercedes-Benz NECK-PRO) Reactive Seat: An entire seat and head restraint that absorbs the energy of a rear end crash. (Example: Volvo WHIPS) Passive Seat: A seat that uses passive foam technology to absorb the energy of the crash and allows the occupant to engage the head restraint without neck distortion. (Example: Audi Backguard) No caption: A traditional fixed or adjustable head restraint that has no specific anti-whiplash technology. 13

special edition research news Waking up to whiplash Matthew Avery, Research Manager - Crash Page two Whiplash - the full story Page four Seat rating - the results Manufacturers listening to Thatcham and

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